Live from Washington, DC, Saturday Night Live cast member, writer & Weekend Update co-anchor Colin Jost took the stage this past Saturday night to headline this year's White House Correspondents Dinner, the annual gathering featuring the President of the United States, First Lady, & senior government officials poking fun at all the various media outlets & the current political landscape.
With SNL having a bi-week this past weekend, it was certainly a treat seeing Jost perform his signature comedy style we know & love from Studio 8H for an funny, honest & vulnerable set during an indeed intimidating gig. The only thing missing from this set to make it feel like his show were his supporting visuals him & his Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che regularly use to land their bits. However, Jost proved from his solid performance he didn't need visual support and found plenty of ground to joke about the current political events, keep the tough room going & give them permission to laugh.
Recapping Colin Jost's best jokes & moments from the White House Correspondents Dinner.
Opening the show, Jost pokes some fun at the executive leadership by going down the line & greeting President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the First Lady Jill Biden & then makes his way to Doug (the Second Gentleman who's just simply referred to as Doug). Like Emroff, Jost can relate to being a "second gentleman" from living in the shadow of his famous wife & actress Scarlett Johansson.
Part of what makes Colin Jost's bits land great throughout the night is the way he gives his funny eye contact & looks around the room with a noticeably long pauses in between jokes (keeping the room in check if you will). Regardless of your political beliefs, if there's something to appreciate about President Biden, it's the way he's able to take a joke & be a good sport about it. An example of this is when Jost jokes about President Obama pulling puppet strings behind Biden, who then lifts his wrists like he is being pulled with a lighthearted chuckle.
Later on, Jost makes his way listing off all the media organizations in attendance at Saturday night's dinner. A few of the notable jokes in this section were Jost's compliments to Wordle (mistakenly, The New York Times, who writes more than just puzzles) & the New York Post. His observation on the Post's headlines being the same 200 point font regardless of there being a WWIII starting tomorrow or a "Central Park owl dead in building collision" is smart and indeed an accurate one.
Jost has a natural gift for making bad things not seem as bad with his unique lens on this year's presidential election. While attempting to put the room at ease about the upcoming election, Jost made a valid point about managing your expectations. He points to the venues this year's dinner was hosted in to make this case. While they could be having this correspondents' dinner at the Waldorff, "we're at the Washington Hilton" Jost says (read that again, the Washington Hilton). "We have to make the best of it" he begs, "at least it's not the Airport Hilton."
Closing the night out, Jost gave his remarks to all the journalists in the room, commending them for their words speaking truth to power and then joking about the day AI programs will soon replace journalists. He then thanks his wife Scarlett for enduring all his jokes & without hesitation puts her on the spot claiming she agreed to meet every single person in the massive ballroom after his speech (she of course definitely doesn't like her privacy). "Don't be shy, come right up," Jost jokes about approaching his wife after the ceremony.
And on a more serious note, Jost leaves the room with a tribute to his recently deceased grandfather who served as a Staten Island firefighter & voted for Biden in this past election before he passed. Jost thanked Biden for "being a decent man" and shared that "decency is how we're able to make jokes about each other, and one of us doesn't go to prison after" the annual dinner.
What a touching close & overall solid performance by Jost. Be sure to watch his full Correspondents Dinner set at the top of this page!
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